Local residents report alleged scam involving medical alerts

A telemarketing scam that is circulating locally involves an offer for a free medical alert system, according to the Better Business Bureau of New Orleans.

Jean-Paul ArguelloStaff Writer

A telemarketing scam that is circulating locally involves an offer for a free medical alert system, according to the Better Business Bureau of New Orleans. “They call two to three times a week. Sometimes twice a day,” said Deanna Ordoyne, of Thibodaux. “Sometimes it’s nine o’clock when they call. At night.”Ordoyne has been receiving the calls for almost six weeks, despite trying to get taken off of the caller’s list.The state Attorney General’s Office is expected to issue a warning this week about the scam.The scam entails telemarketing calls to seniors offering a medical alert system from a reputable monitoring company, the BBB says. The telemarketer says the system is paid for by the senior’s children or is free. All the senior has to do is pay for shipping. But the next day, the victim will be billed $35 to $45 on his or her credit card, and the charge recurs every month.“They say that the device is prepaid,” said Cynthia Albert, BBB-New Orleans president of operations and media relations. “Someone, they don’t reveal who it is, has paid for it.”Many times the victim doesn’t even get a medical alert device.“Some receive a device, but others don’t,” said Steve Landry, Acadian On-Call sales representative.“If they get anything at all, it is not the real Life Alert and it’s definitely not free,” Albert said. “Some people are fooled.”Albert said the BBB in New Orleans has received a number of calls related to the scam.“The charge comes from LifeWatchUSA,” said Olga Vlasova, Life Alert vice president of marketing. “They basically hired the robocallers.”The scammers say they represent Life Alert or Acadian On-Call, companies that are immediately recognizable to many seniors.“The Better Business Bureau says they’re using the Life Alert and Acadian On-Call brand,” Landry said.LifeWatchUSA does not use automated phone calls as part of its marketing strategy, said Jason Cooper, the company’s sales manager, who declined to answer more questions. Life Alert is suing Cromwell, Conn.-based LifeWatchUSA on grounds of trademark infringement.Life Alert, best known for its slogan, “Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up,” had to create an entire new division to handle the massive influx of calls from people who have been scammed, Vlasova said. It has been investigating who is making these calls, which are occurring in multiple states across the country.“We’ve identified a telemarketer in Florida,” said Vlasova, naming Michael Hilgar.Last year, the district attorney of Marion County, Ind., filed an injunction against Hilgar and his company, Safeline Alert, to stop the robocalls there. Hilgar was also named in a lawsuit over robocalls in Connecticut, which has since been settled, according to the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office. Another suit was filed against him in North Dakota.Landry said victims of the scam included a resident of Marksville near Shreveport.“I don’t believe that the elderly are more susceptible to this scam, but the elderly are being targeted to a greater degree,” Landry said.